


Sunshine, Shine So Bright

by Climbergirlio



Series: Dairshaun Things [3]
Category: Young Wizards - Diane Duane
Genre: Dairshaun, F/M, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Roshaun being a king, Seriously so much of it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:07:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24276370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Climbergirlio/pseuds/Climbergirlio
Summary: Roshaun comes to Earth after a failed assassination attempt and Dairine acts the part of concerned girlfriend and does her best to distract him. Finding shapes in the clouds is involved.*In the same universe as my Dairshaun Things, but set ambiguously in summer. By no means do you have to read those to understand this!*
Relationships: Dairine Callahan & Nita Callahan, Dairine Callahan & Roshaun ke Nelaid, Dairine Callahan/Roshaun ke Nelaid, Nita Callahan/Kit Rodriguez
Series: Dairshaun Things [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1605733
Comments: 1
Kudos: 12





	1. Cloud Chasing

Dairine sat at the kitchen table, trying to summon the motivation to finish her geography homework. In general, she thought school to be pointless, but she did have a responsibility to complete the work assigned to her. Geography was an especially tedious subject though. She sighed to herself and began labeling the map in front of her. 

The screen door banged open and closed. The weather had been consistently sunny so the battered screen had been acting as the sole doorway to the outside again and it was back to complaining endlessly. It preferred when the storm door was needed as well as most household members would pause to open the other door, cushioning the blow for the tattered screen. Dairine didn’t bother to look up from her work. Nita went out with Kit earlier and she was meant to be returning around this time. 

She is therefore surprised when the lanky form of her boyfriend sinks into the chair next to her. She labels another item on her map before setting down the pencil she had been using. 

“I require a moment of your time.”

She assesses him briefly. He had been looking very stressed as of late, but today appeared to be worse than normal, “I’m all yours.” To prove her point, she closes her textbook firmly and sets it aside. He’s much more important than a stupid assignment. 

He doesn’t quite seem to know where to begin, “there was an attempt.”

She sucks in a breath, “did you catch them?”

He makes a tense “no” motion.

She stands from her seat, “I’m going back with you. Right now.”

He smiles tiredly, “and of what use would that be?”

“I’ll find them.”

He rests his head in his hands in an exhausted motion, “and then what? Any harm you did to them would speed up entropy,” he grins at her, though the motion is tired, “I often wonder how you have managed to make it this long without losing your wizardry.”

She sits back down, “oh, shut up.” There’s no malice behind the words. 

She examines him closely. There’s no question the attempted assasination has him rattled. She can’t see any physical wounds, and doubts he wouldn’t have told her about them by now, so that’s a small comfort. Emotionally, though, he looks wrecked. And rightfully so. It breaks her heart, knowing that there are people out there, regular people, who hate him so much for a legacy he couldn’t choose. She glances down at her geography homework. And here she was, complaining about a stupid assignment.

She stands again, “come on.”

He mimics her willingly, “where are we going?”

She grins, “on a field trip.”

“A ‘field trip’?” He inquires. 

“It’s like a short activity trip that kids who are in school in the U.S. get to go on sometimes, ostensibly for educational purposes. In this context, it basically just means we’re going to go out and do something.”

She bangs through the screen door, pulling him gently with her. They very nearly run into Nita and Kit, both of whom are soaking wet and shivering, even in the heat. Dairine raises a brow but says nothing. She has other priorities at the moment. Once in the backyard, she makes a split second decision. 

“How soon do you have to be back?” 

He makes a shrugging motion, “my parents suggested I take the afternoon off.”

Privately, she agrees with them. He seems uncharacteristically rattled. More time is better for what she wants to do anyway. She rugs him by the hand, leading him out the back gate and onto the road behind their house. 

“We’re going for a walk?” he asks.

She punches him gently, “no Kingling, we are simply walking to our destination. Just because we  _ can _ use a transport spell to get somewhere doesn’t mean we  _ should _ . Might as well conserve the energy since it’s a nice day.”

“Who would’ve thought? Dairine Callahan conserving energy.”

Dairine rolls her eyes, but he seems more relaxed so she lets it slide and simply pulls him a little closer and rests her head on his arm a little as they walk. She can feel him begin to relax and then, quite suddenly he stiffens again and drops her hand.

“What if someone sees?”

“Who cares?” she responds bluntly, “this is Earth.”

“But people might ask questions.”

She shrugs, “let them. I’m not worried about what they’ll be asking. Tom and Carl introduced my dad to a non-wizard friend of theirs in the government who knows about wizardry. Apparently he’s created documentation for other hominids in need before. In a couple weeks you’ll have the necessary identification that will prove you’re really only two years older than me. No one will even blink at that, don’t worry.”

“That is a relief.”

He joins their hands once more and they resume their walking. It doesn’t take them too long to reach their destination. 

“Mollie B Drugs?” Roshaun asks.

Before he has the chance to finish, she cuts him off, “it’s a supplier of medicines and other types of cures for ailments,” she pushes the door open, “but this particular location also has a soda counter.”

He gives her a questioning look, but rather than explaining she just leads him to the old-fashioned counter in the back. The owner nods to her. She had come here a lot when she was younger with her mom. She shoves down the wave of sadness before Roshaun can notice, though.

“Hey Bob,” she smiles. 

“Dairine! I must say it’s been a while. And who is your friend?” There’s a twinkle in his eyes as he asks the question. 

“This is my boyfriend, Roshaun. Roshaun, this is Bob. His mother was Mollie B, the woman this place was named after.” 

“What can I do for you today?”

“Two root beer floats please,” she requests, jumping up onto a stool.

_ Root beer float? _ Roshaun asks, his longer legs enabling him to slide gracefully onto the stool next to hers.

_ Root beer is a kind of soda. You’ve had it before. You’ll probably recognize the flavor when we get our floats. Basically they just add ice cream to it.  _ Then she adds aloud, “Mollie B’s has the best floats because they blend in ice cream with the soda and then scoop it on top.”

“That’s right kiddo. All our ice cream is made in our creamery just down the road too,” Bob adds for Roshaun’s benefit. 

“You’ll love it,” Dairine assures him. 

“We shall see,” Roshaun responds in English. 

She can’t help the impressed expression that crosses her face. His accent is still very obvious, but she’s surprised he’s gotten confident enough to speak English in public. She doesn’t mention it though, “when am I wrong?”

“Often,” again, the word is in English. 

Bob sets the floats in front of them before she can defend herself, “enjoy you two.”

Dairine leads by example, spooning a mixture of the ice-creamy soda and pure ice cream into her mouth. Nita has always argued with her over this, claiming it was uncouth to consume a float in such a manner. Roshaun doesn’t seem to mind, not bothering to hide the smile that covers his face. Dairine can’t help but reflect the expression upon seeing him happy. 

“What do you think?”

“It is...good.”

She pretends to be offended, “just good?”

_ I am not familiar with the English word. This treat is surprisingly refreshing and delicious. _ He admits. 

_ Don’t worry about it. You are doing quite well with your English.  _ Then she adds aloud, “I believe the word you are looking for is ‘superb’.”

He cocks his head, probably translating, “superb,” he echoes, stumbling slightly over the pronunciation. It’s kind of adorable. 

They finish off their floats in no time, both relishing the refreshing treat after walking in the afternoon heat. Dairine waves a cheery goodbye to Bob, promising to be back soon and then leads Roshaun back out to the street. Her original plan was to just head back home, but then she gets a much better idea. It takes Roshaun longer than it probably should for him to realize they’re not headed back to her house. 

“What is the destination of this journey?” he asks her, once more in the Speech, “I do not believe this to be the way to return to your domicile.”

“What? You thought this was a one stop date?”

He makes a shrugging motion, “candidly, I am unaware of what your plans are.”

Dairine does not admit to the fact that she is mostly making this up as she goes along, “good. Doesn’t hurt to keep you on your toes.”

She turns down a street and leads him to the park. There are a few people milling around, but no one pays them any mind. The playground is deserted, so Dairine leads him to the top of the structure and then down the slide. The childish look of joy on his face as he reaches the bottom is so raw she has to bite her lip to refrain from the grin that threatens to split her face. She leads him to the swing set next. It takes him a few tries to understand how to build momentum, but once he gets it, he quickly matches her in height. 

They swing for a good while, and then she jumps off, flying through the air and landing gracefully on her feet. Roshaun attempts to mimic her, but being less familiar with the endeavor, falls on his face. Dairine had been anticipating the incident, and had luckily already spoken the words of a quick spell to cushion the blow. She does not spare him her laughter, though.

He gets up rather sheepishly, “more practice may be in order.”

She grins “hold your horses, cowboy. You can swing more another day. Right now I have one last thing I want to show you.”

“Hold your horses? Cowboy?”

“Essentially, don’t get ahead of yourself.”

He shakes his head slightly, “your people NEVER tire of idioms and sayings.”

She rolls her eyes, “c’mon before I get sick of you.”

He rolls his eyes too, a habit he’s picked up from her, but follows her to the path.

Dairine walks down the path, Roshaun trailing a little ways behind. She’s not exactly sure what she’s looking for as it’s been a while since she’s visited this particular location. Luckily, she recognizes the tiny break in foliage and plunges in.

She can practically see Roshaun raising a perfectly skeptical brow, “are you confident this is the correct way?”

“Fairly.”

He sighs deeply, but she hears him enter the brush behind her. She leads the way a little further, avoiding the largest of the branches whenever possible so as not to get cut. A few seconds later she emerges into the small clearing, Roshaun behind her. He looks around the clearing, slightly skeptical. 

“Am I meant to be impressed?”

She sticks her tongue out at him, “I used to come here a lot when I was younger. I was never much for nature, but isolation was another thing entirely. I never had any close friends.”

He frowns slightly at her.

She raises her brows in reassurance, “but now I’ve got you.”

He wraps his arms around her, “you certainly do.”

She spins to look up at him, “and you have me.”

She rests her head briefly on his chest before pulling back, “you ever tried to find shapes in the clouds?”

“I do not believe so, no.”

She lays down on the ground, motioning for him to join her. Once he does, she points up at the first cloud she sees, “that one there reminds me of Sker’ret.”

Roshaun looks for a moment and then laughs, “I see the resemblance.”

“Okay, now it’s your turn. You find a cloud that reminds you of something.”

Roshaun picks a cloud, “that one there has the likeness of Ponch.”

Dairine nods, “I see it. That one is a rabbit.”

“So it is.”

They lay like that for a while, completely at peace. It’s a novel feeling. The reality of what had almost happened earlier today is temporarily banished, but it’s not gone. He’s still going to have to go home tonight. That’s the part about his job that has always freaked her out the most. The fact that  _ regular  _ people try to kill him. 

“That one looks like Spot,” Roshaun points to a cloud. 

“Absolutely not!” she argues. 

“When he has his eyes and legs,” he doesn’t give up. 

“Absolutely not. That would be like me saying you looked like that blob over there.”

“It hardly does me justice,” his custom arrogance shines through. 

“I don’t know,” she taunts, “big head. Probably has a bit of an ego. General anime aesthetic.”

“Any likeness I may share with this so called ‘anime’ can be explained as the creators drawing inspiration from yours truly.”

Dairine gives a disbelieving snort, “yeah, right. You’re just mad because I don’t like anime.”

“On the contrary, I still have no concept for what anime even is.”

“You know the scary thing is you’d probably really like it.”

“With the knowledge that you dislike it, I find myself certain of that fact as well.”

She rolls her eyes, “I’m sure ‘Mela would be happy to show some to you if you’re interested.”

He shivers, “I am not certain I have the constitution for that. I find it difficult to believe that Carmela engages solely with entertainment on the television.”

Dairine shrugs, “it might be good for you to have to sit through a ‘Mela gossip session. It’s a life altering experience.”

“I find it difficult to believe that you mean that in a good way.”

She smirks, “you might learn a little more respect for those of us who deal with her regularly.”

“I already have it,” he assures her, mostly joking but they both know ‘Mela well enough to hear the truth ringing through the words as well. 

The conversation ceases and they fall once more into a natural silence, hands still entwined and gazing up at the clouds. Dairine idly remembers she did not think far enough ahead to put on sunscreen, but she can’t bring herself to end this peaceful moment and remedy that. A little sunburn might add some color to her complexion, which was something she sorely needed. Even in the summer, her skin had the tendency to remain pale. This had never mattered much to her before, but now it was just another thing that made her stand out on Wellakh. Perhaps  _ she  _ was the reason Roshaun was attacked earlier today. 

“No.” Roshaun’s voice is harsh and he sits up to look at her. Evidently he had heard that thought. She sits up too, but doesn’t meet his eyes. 

“It’s a possibility, you cannot deny that.”

“The attacks happened long before you came to Wellakh. Do not forget that my father was subject to an attempt meant for me while I was still on excursus here on Earth. They are part of the job, and have been part of the job nearly since the first Sunlord took up the Sunwatch. They find fault in my rule, or even simply in my existence.”

Dairine shook her head, “but having me around doesn’t help.”

“You are the light in the darkness that often ironically accompanies the Sunwatch. In time, I hope, my people will see that.”

She smiles wistfully, “they do not seem to be easily swayed.”

Roshaun sighs, “that much, I am afraid, is all too true.”

“That’s my job, is it not? Speaking the truth?” she teases gently, trying to inject some humor into the conversation once more. 

He smiles briefly, then sighs, “what is the truth?”

She turns and faces him abruptly, sitting up straighter. He copies her motion, a look of tense apprehension on his face. 

She takes a deep breath, “the truth is…” she pauses, then makes her resolve and begins again, much more sure. “The truth is, Roshaun, I love you. You are selfless and brave and completely devoted to your people. You’re a wonderful King and an even more wonderful person. If your people could know you as I do, I have no doubt they would be honored to have you as their King.” She says this in a rush, and though the words are true, it was never quite this scenario in which she imagined saying them.

Roshaun, the consummately composed royal, is actually staring at her, mouth hanging open in shock and pure elation. “Dairine Callahan,” the way he says her name is akin to worship, “I love you.” His thoughts are a jumbled mess that echo that sentiment exactly. She smiles in pure elation, her own just as disorganized and happy. 

There are no more words, she’s not sure either of them are capable of organizing anything coherent, but there need not be for he captures her lips in a passionate kiss. She scrambles immediately into his lap, feeling the intense need to be closer to him. Her body betrays her with its need for air and she pulls reluctantly away for a half second before planting an open mouthed kiss on his neck. He shivers at the contact, and begins trying to pull off her shirt. 

She pulls back from her place at his neck far enough to take it off herself and he does the same before their lips crash back together hungrily. His hands are everywhere and she's sure by the end both of them will have hopeless tangles in their hair. She can’t bring herself to care and instead lets her hands do some wandering of their own. Eventually she decides to just simply throw them around the back of his neck, pulling him closer. 

For a good time everything is just a pleasurable mix of hands and lips and skin on skin. Then she accidentally knees a tree root and sense comes rushing back. She breaks away from him rather suddenly, “this is not the place for this,” she’s completely breathless. 

Roshaun actually gasps for air a little, “a regrettable but true deduction.”

She scrambles back a little and pulls her shirt back on. Once she’s done she smirks at him, “you good?”

“I require a moment.”

She can’t help the self-satisfied grin at those words and, a little triumphantly, tosses him his own shirt. It lands conveniently in his lap, and he stands, facing away from her to pull it on. When he turns back to face her, she’s trying to work out the worst of the knots from her hair. She appraises him. The T-Shirt is baggy even for him, something she hadn’t noticed before. Even at his height, it reaches to his mid thigh. His hair, like hers, is hopelessly tangled. His lips are also swollen. If Nita or her dad is going to be home, they’ll need to do something about both those facts. 

“Spot!” The little computer appears obediently at her side, “open a portal to my hairbrush, would you?”

He begins the spell immediately and she approves it silently through their connection. Half a second later she’s slightly winded and holding a hairbrush. 

She quirks a brow at Roshaun, “you first.”


	2. BBQ and The Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dairine and Roshaun head back to Dairine's house for dinner where, much to Dairine's chagrin, she gets a talking to from both Tom and Nita

  
  


They arrive back at the house, hair neatly brushed and much more put together just as her father gets home. Dairine is immensely grateful they had taken the precautionary measures they had. It wasn’t that her dad disapproved of Roshaun, but she certainly didn’t want to give him a reason to. 

“Dari, Roshaun,” Harry greeted them, “I wasn’t aware you’d be visiting us tonight, Roshaun.”

Before Roshaun has a chance to open his mouth, Dairine is responding, “it was unplanned. I’m needed on Wellakh so we will be leaving after dinner.”

_ Not strictly true. _

She rolls her eyes internally,  _ please. As if I was about to let you go back alone. Besides, I bet your mother already has my room set up and waiting.  _

“Will you be staying long?”

“Probably until this time tomorrow. Lady Miril had some things for me to look over and Nelaid has been wanting to get some more training in now that my schedule is freer again. No sense in making multiple trips.”

Her dad sighs, “what were you doing last week then?”

“I was on errantry last week, Daddy. I told you that,” she sighs as they enter the house. 

Roshaun gives her a sharp look, “you were?”

Dairine shrugs, “it was a small problem with some computers in the Crossings. I thought I’d mentioned it.”

Roshaun makes a ‘no’ motion, a little concerned.

“Well it wasn’t a big deal. I was just visiting Sker’ret and helping ‘Mela and Ronan and they happened to be having some computer problems of a wizardly nature while I was there. It seemed like a problem for my skill set so I offered to look it over. While I was running some diagnostics on Spot, I realized I was on errantry. It took like two Earth days to fix, and  _ you, _ ” Dairine looked sternly at her dad, “approved my staying there.” 

Her dad sighed, “it all blends together. Tom and Carl are coming round for dinner tonight. We’re having burgers.”

“Anything going on?” Dairine asks, a little concerned.

“No, just a social call. I think they just want to make sure you know what you’re doing.”

Dairine rolls her eyes, “if I didn’t know what I was doing, I wouldn’t have made it this far, would I?”

Roshaun looks amused, “I doubt much of that is because you know what you’re doing.”

She spins on him, “dare I remind you which one of us is responsible for the other’s very presence here this evening?”

“Dari! I thought I heard you!” Nita appears at the top of the stairs as Dairine’s dad heads out back to get the grill started. 

“Did dad tell you Tom and Carl we’re coming over?”

“Yeah. It’s convenient since Kit and I would’ve had to head over there tonight anyway.”

“I assume it has to do with why you both look like you’d nearly drowned earlier. Where is he?”

Nita makes her way to the kitchen and gets our plates and cups, handing some to Dairine, “yes, it does. And he just went home to shower, he’ll be back for dinner,” Nita answers the question. 

“What? He turned down the opportunity to join you?”

Nita rolls her eyes, but doesn’t reply, heading out back. 

Dairine follows her, giving half the plates she has to Roshaun and setting the rest on the table. Once the places are set, she slips into a chair. Roshaun takes the seat next to her, and Nita the one across the table. 

“It’s been a while since we’ve done this,” Nita says, a bit wistful. 

“I suppose it has,” Dairine agrees. 

“One or the other of us is always gone nowadays. I assume you’re both heading to Wellakh tonight?”

“Indeed we are,” Roshaun answers. 

“Is this the kind of visit I’m allowed to ask about?” Nita inquires. 

Roshaun stiffens slightly and nearly imperceptibly checks to see if Dairine’s dad is listening before he replies, “you are. There was an attempt on my life earlier today,” a bit of his tiredness shows through, “Dairine insisted upon coming back with me to attempt to bring the perpetrators to justice. Presumably with the aid of my mother.”

Dairine rolls her eyes, “and to keep you company. I’m your partner, it’s my job to be there for the not so nice moments as well as all the nice ones.”

“Fantastic phrasing. Couldn’t have said it better myself,” Kit says from behind her before going around the table and planting a kiss on Nita’s head and wrapping his arms around her. They’re scarily natural together. More like a married couple than a couple of high schoolers. 

“Bite me.” Is her only response. 

She then takes a sip of water, which proves unfortunate as Roshaun’s nonverbal response to her quip makes her choke on the beverage. Violently red and gasping for air, Dairine makes a waving motion that she hopes shows her dad, who is looking rather concerned, that she's fine. When she regains her breath, she jabs Roshaun as hard as she can in the ribs. He winces slightly. She fans herself with her hand as a distraction from Nita and Kit’s faces. 

“Dairine? Nita? Some help with the food?” 

Both Nita and Dairine rise to help their dad while Kit and Roshaun head to open the gate for Tom and Carl, who had just appeared around the side of the house. The girls bring the food over almost at the exact moment everyone is sitting down again. 

“Tom. Carl. It’s rare we see you here nowadays,” Dairine greets them. 

“From the way I hear it, nearly as rare as seeing you here,” Carl jokes. 

Dairine rolls her eyes, “oh boy. I see Daddy has been exaggerating.”

“Well you are always gone,” he defends himself. 

“It’s summer, Daddy. If I’m going to be gone on wizardly business wouldn’t you rather it was now?” 

He groans slightly, “I suppose. I’d rather you weren’t gone at all.”

Dairine takes a bite of her hamburger to stall the conversation. When she’s finished chewing, she’s come up with a suitable reply, “I very rarely go anywhere you couldn’t follow if you were really concerned. Mostly Wellakh and the Crossings these days. I’ve become predictable.”

“Can’t have that now, can we?” Kit teases.

Dairine shakes her head, smiling a little, “when I think of what I was doing when I first started…” she trails off, not really wanting to get into that. The less her dad knows in that situation, the better. She takes another bite of food instead. 

“ _ I _ remember your first days,” Carl jumps in, “that was quite an adjustment.”

“You know, the funniest thing was when we were at the Invitational and people had actually  _ looked into  _ me. One wizard in particular was impressed by my refusal to move the planet, which happened on a private phone call and  _ I  _ barely remembered,” Dairine shakes her head a little at the memory, mystified. 

“I know how you feel,” Nita agreed, “it was weird for other wizards to admire  _ me _ .”

“It won’t be the last time,” Tom smiles, “comes with being good at what you do.”

“The weirdest part was that they were afraid of me,” Dairine admits, “I wasn’t expecting it at all.”

“You are quite frightening at times,” Roshaun comments. She glares at him. “I intended it as a compliment,” he adds lightly, “it means you are good at what you do. At times, frighteningly so.”

She pulls a page from his book and arches a superior brow at him.

Silence dominates the table momentarily as everyone refocuses their energy on eating. Dairine herself finishes off her hamburger and takes a swig from her cup. She makes a face when she tastes what’s inside. What had seemed like regular Coke was actually decaf. Probably Nita trying to force her to be responsible and not have caffeine too late at night. As if dinner time was too late. 

“Decaf? Again?” She voices aloud. 

Nita gives her a stern look, “you have too much caffeine as it is.”

Dairine makes a face, “I really do think I got addicted during the invitational.”

“Our fault I suppose,” Tom frowns.

“I don’t blame you. I blame the time difference. Thank goodness Wellakhit time runs nearly parallel to Earth time.”

“Quite true,” Roshaun agrees, “I imagine that would be rather a mess for the both of us otherwise.” 

There is another lull in the conversation as everyone finishes off their dinner and sits back. Dairine is itching to head to Wellakh already, but since Tom and Carl have come for dinner she’s attempting to be patient. Still, it’s hard. She’s never really been a patient person. 

“How’s your studying with Nelaid coming along Dairine?” Carl asks.

“Pretty well. I fear my solutions to the problems are never as graceful as he wants though.”

“Your way of looking at a problem is different than his,” Roshaun defends her, “naturally your solutions will be different.”

“I do hope some of that ease comes from practice,” she admits, “I often feel like a square peg trying to fit into a round hole.”

“I am sure it will. After all, there’s no reason a square peg can’t be whittled into something that could fit,” Tom says. 

“And what, practicing is whittling here?” Dairine sighs, “I suppose you’re right. I am still pretty much a beginner.”

Roshaun takes a sip of his own drink, swallows, and speaks, “my father has been trained in stars since he was old enough to walk. It is our duty and we learn to manage them with or without wizardry. You see my father for lessons perhaps biweekly. The comparison is hardly fair.”

She gives him a quick kiss on the cheek and picks up her dishes, heading inside to place them in the dishwasher. It was a system they devised early on in their relationship. When one or the other was right and the other knew it, instead of admitting it aloud, they would concede with a kiss. She’s just put her dishes in when Nita comes in with a stack of plates, Kit following with the cups. Dairine rolls her eyes but takes the cups from him, deciding to spare all of them from whatever excuse Kit was going to devise. 

They put the dishes in the machine in silence. It’s a task Dairine doesn't actually mind too much, since it’s one of the easier household chores. It also gets her away from Tom for a moment. She could tell by the looks he was giving her at dinner that he wanted to talk to her and she was sure she wasn’t going to like it. The best thing about dishes was also the worst thing about them today. They didn’t take long. 

Nita and Dairine head back out. Roshaun, Kit, her dad, and Carl are all in a group talking about something or other. Tom is still seated at the table. He inclines his head towards the seat next to him, just as Dairine had expected. Dairine slips willingly into the chair, bracing herself for whatever he is going to say to her as Nita goes and slips back under Kit’s arm. 

Tom glances towards the group over by the grill. Dairine doesn’t need to follow his gaze to know it rests on Roshaun, or more accurately, to know Tom is trying to decide if Roshaun is going to come over. He won’t. Tom seems to come to the same conclusion, because he focuses back on her now. 

“Your father’s worried about you, Dairine. He says you’ve barely been home lately.”

“He can’t expect me to sit around home all summer long. I’m home by dinner at least three days a week, usually more,” Dairine tries not to sound frustrated.

“Just remember, you have commitments here on Earth too.” Tom’s gaze flashes back to Roshaun. 

Dairine sighs, “whatever else our relationship has become, Roshaun is my partner. Things make more sense with him. And not just wizardry, life. Think about living on a completely different planet than Carl. I would think you, of all people, should understand. I know Nita does.”

Tom nods, “I do understand, Dairine. But partnership implies equality, don’t forget that. It may be easier for you to give, but that doesn’t mean that he shouldn’t.”

“I  _ like _ Wellakh. I enjoy my time spent there. But I live on Earth. That hasn’t changed. I still plan on finishing high school and maybe college. It’s summer now. Wizardry always ramps up when we have more free time, at least in my experience. And I’m being more responsible now.”

Tom smiles a tired smile, “just try to be home by dinner time for your dad? And maybe one day of the weekend?”

“I will try, that I promise. I don’t do  _ everything  _ just to spite you, you know.”

“Oh really?” Tom jokes, “silly me.”

Dairine rolls her eyes. 

As if pulled by some invisible force, Nita, Kit, and Carl all drift toward the table. “We were hoping to debrief you on the events of today, if we’re not interrupting,” Nita ventures. 

“Go right ahead,” Dairine grants her permission, “Tom has had enough of berating me for the evening I think,” her tone is joking. 

Her dad seems to be explaining how the grill works to Roshaun, so Dairine leaves them for a moment and heads inside. She climbs the steps to her room and begins looking for the things she’ll need for the night. She briefly considers an old T-Shirt to use as pajamas, but promptly reconsiders. She has pajamas on Wellakh already which are much more flattering, not that that sort of thing should matter too much. She hasn’t stayed on Wellakh for some time, the subsidized worldgate making it unnecessary. Indeed she’s stayed overnight only twice since Roshaun had returned, the first being immediately after his return and the second when she had been Lady Miril’s companion for a spa retreat. 

The main reason for this lack of overnight stays was, of course, the rumors that it was bound to produce. Still, a situation such as this overruled the rumor mill. And no doubt Lady Miril was already taking precautions. Really, though, Dairine did not see how it would make any difference if she stayed overnight or not. There was just as much opportunity for physical relations during the day as there was at night. She supposed staying the night indicated another kind of permanence altogether, though.

She threw all her dirty Wellakhit clothes in her otherspace pocket. It was best to not wash Wellakhit clothes on Earth, or so Lady Miril claimed. Apparently it wouldn’t properly clean the fabric. What Dairine would be doing to get them so dirty, she didn’t know, but she had learned to pick her battles. Dairine then headed to her bathroom and grabbed standard overnight stuff. This was not strictly necessary as she had Wellakhit versions of the items in her room, but she had used those before and knew she preferred the earthen variety. 

She then pulled clean Wellakhit wear from her closet and began changing into it. This particular ensemble was halfway between casual and formal, probably the Wellakhit equivalent to dress pants and a decent blouse. The material was gauzy and deep red, as if a particularly strong Syrah wine had been spilled over it. She admired her reflection for a moment in the mirror. Dressy enough so as to make a good impression on anyone she met, but not formal. She is just slipping on a bracelet when Nita knocks. Dairine yells for her to come in. 

“You look nice,” is Nita’s greeting. 

Dairine is immediately suspicious, “thanks.”

Nita sits on the bed, “so you’re going to go try and find the people who tried to kill Roshaun?”

Dairine sighs a little and sits next to her, “he won’t admit it, but he’s freaked. My main reason for going is to keep him company. Of course I’m going to look for the attackers, but I very much doubt we will be able to find them.” 

“I assume you’re going to be sleeping in his room? I hope you’re being careful.”

Dairine blushes a brilliant red, “of course. But that’s not really necessary yet.”

Nita nods also seeming uncomfortable, “good. Uh, you can talk to me?”

Dairine laughs at that, “don’t worry, I know everything I need to know.”

Nita is blushing almost as badly as Dairine by this point, “well, you are from two different species. I just want to make sure that you’re aware of any potential...differences.”

Dairine can’t meet Nita’s eyes any longer, “we are physically compatible, if that’s what you’re asking, though I can’t believe we’re having this conversation right now.”

“Me either really,” Nita confesses, “but, uh, Dad asked me too. He wasn’t sure who else was going to have it with you and decided someone needed to.”

Both girls fall silent at the non-mention of their mother. 

“Well it’s been had. Let’s please never do that again,”

“Agreed,” Nita stands up, crosses the room, and then pauses at the door, “you know I love you, right?”

Dairine rolls her eyes, “yeah, yeah, love you too.”

Nita smiles and then leaves. 

Dairine lets out a long breath and puts her head between her knees. Of all the things she had expected tonight, that had not been one of them. She felt her mother’s loss keenly for a moment. How would that conversation have gone if it was her mom and not her sister who had had it with her? How many moments like this would her mother miss out on? She had never even met Roshaun. 

“Are you alright?” Roshaun’s voice startles her and she looks up, not meeting his gaze. 

“I just finished getting packed,” she deflects. It seems wrong, somehow, for her to be sad when he has trials of his own to deal with today. 

“That does not answer the question,” he prods. 

“We should get going,” she deflects once more, “you need to be getting back.”

He frowns, “if the idea of coming to Wellakh unsettles you-”

She cuts him off, “that’s not it at all. There’s nothing I’d rather do than go to Wellakh with you.” She says this in the speech so he knows it’s true. 

“Something has upset you,” it’s not a question, “was it Nita?”

Dairine gives her room one last glance to make sure that she has everything she might want, “no. At least, she didn’t intend to. Come on, let’s get going. We can stop to say goodbye to my dad and everybody else.”

He frowns but drops the topic. 

She flicks off the light in her room and shuts the door behind Roshaun, leading him down the stairs and back out to the lawn. They say their goodbyes briefly. Dairine hugs her sister and father in an attempt to gain some goodwill and Kit gives her a friendly punch on the shoulder before she takes Roshaun’s hand, hugs Spot to her chest, and calls a final goodbye over her shoulder. They walk to the little patch of trees and use the beam me up spell to arrive in the back room of her dad’s store. The first thing Dairine sees is a vase of flowers someone had obviously been practicing arranging. The flowers are a bit limp, not eligible for sale, so Dairine pulls them from the vase. They won’t be missed. 

“What are you going to do with those?” Roshaun asks.

She shrugs, “I don’t know. Maybe I’ll put them in your room.”

There is a distinct lack of variety in natural plant life on Wellakh. The planet is actually quite good for growing, but most of the native species died off in the burning and wizards and gardeners alike have had little to no luck getting foreign plants to live, mainly because of Thahit’s instability. Perhaps it was something for Filif to look into, given his unique viewpoint on the subject. 

Roshaun stands by the worldgate, double checking it to make sure everything is in order. She goes to stand by him, but trusts him to know what he’s doing. “All good?” she asks.

“Everything is in order. After you,” he offers. 

She grins and steps up on an overturned crate, kissing him thoroughly before breaking away suddenly, picking up Spot, and stepping through the gate in almost the same instant. It never hurts to keep him on his toes. 


	3. Wellakhit Evenings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dairine spends some time with Lady Miril.

When Roshaun appears behind Dairine a moment later, they are alone in the private worldgate room at the palace. Roshaun doesn’t bother to call an air car or make the walk and instead does a transport to his rooms. She sets Spot down and lets him wander around. He is fond of exploring the palace and she can’t see the harm in it. He won’t go too far. 

Roshaun, meanwhile, pulls off the baggy shirt from before. Dairine shivers slightly at the memory of the last time that had happened. This time he balls it up and tosses it inside his pup tent, which he has taken to using as a storage place for Earthen items. She’s loath to see how many lollipops currently reside there. Far too many, of that she’s sure. 

Roshaun disappears behind a changing screen without a word, so Dairine gets up to check out the stash for herself. She steps into the pup tent, and as expected, there’s shelves filled with glass jars of lollipops. They’re organized by flavor, too, which is an accomplishment and looks very neat. She finds a jar of root beer flavored suckers and pulls one out. The rest of Roshaun’s Earth artifacts are more random. There’s the T-shirts, of course, stored in a good sized dresser where she folds the shirt he’d just taken off and places it. There are pictures of the two of them on a small table. Candles feature prominently in the collection. He had taken an inexplicable liking to them, so Dairine had made a special trip to Scottsdale, Arizona to pick up custom candles she had commissioned. Several of them decorate the space, but two more lie in a box underneath her bed for the next special occasion. There’s also movies and an old tv and DVD player Carmela had found at a thrift shop. She is proud to note Star Wars features in his little collection of discs. A few novels are scattered on a bookshelf with some other random items. Board games, puzzles, and other home items also fill the shelves. It gives the place an oddly homey feel and is surprisingly Earth-like despite the overblown decor that is still present, if a bit scaled back. 

She steps back out of the pup tent, where overblown decor is the only thing visible. She drops down on the softest couch, unwrapping the lolly as she does so. She swirls her tongue around it as she waits for Roshaun to come back out. She doesn’t have to be too patient. He steps back out just a few seconds after she has sat down. Her eyes roam lazily across him, taking in the clothing change. He’s going to make an appearance, and seems even tenser now than before. She spins the lollipop around in her mouth, contemplating this. It’s best for her to not be there when he does appear in front of his people, no matter how much she doesn’t want to leave him alone. But what should she do instead? 

“I see you took it upon yourself to steal one of my lollipops,” Roshaun raises a brow, but the effect is ruined by how distracted he seems by the lollipop itself. Or rather, where it is. She gets a brilliant idea of how to distract him.   
“I did.” She smirks and draws it from her mouth, accentuating the action with a little pop! as it leaves her mouth, “did you want it back?”  
She stands next to him as she says this, holding it up.   
His hand joins hers on the little stick, “perhaps.”  
She sticks her tongue out and licks the lollipop soundly, “I’m afraid I’ve already licked it.”  
He swallows and shifts slightly, but his eyes never leave her.   
“Then again, you have an appearance to make, and it would be rude of me to keep you from that. You can have that lollipop and I’ll find a new one later. Can’t keep the people waiting can we?” She releases her hold on the lollipop and turns and walks out the door. “I’ll be with Lady Miril while you’re busy.”

The moment Dairine is outside Roshaun’s rooms, she turns bright red. She had kept her embarrassment minimal while she was in the moment, mostly as she herself wasn’t aware of what she was going to do until she was doing it, but now, being removed from the situation, she has time to think it over and experience that embarrassment. At least she pulled it off well. And it did seem to distract him, at least momentarily. 

Dairine finds Lady Miril in her public sitting room. It’s located in a tower with windows facing outwards in every direction. The windows are built to withstand an intense amount of firepower, though, so it is perfectly safe. The sitting room is also an ideal place for Dairine to be because it puts her in the public eye, but separates her from Roshaun.   
“Dairine, tekeh. I was expecting you,” Lady Miril rises to greet her, “please, join me for some shfj.”  
Dairine sits down and sips on the tea-like beverage. The place has already been set for her, “how bad was it?”   
Lady Miril frowns, “bad. Much closer than any of us would have liked.”  
Dairine shivers, “I can’t help but feel like it is my fault.”  
“Assassins are to blame, tekeh, not you. Anyone who would try to take the life of another would do so without care for what they did or who they saw. Those are simply excuses that they use in an attempt to justify their behavior. Every killer tries to find a scapegoat, but there is none to blame but he who pulls the trigger.”  
“Even still, I don’t make things better.”  
“On the contrary, you have made Roshaun happier than I have ever seen him. Nelaid smiles more often and with less falseness and in you I have found the daughter I was never able to have born myself. Your presence here has brought joy to this family. There were assassins before you and there will be assassins after you. It is a burden our family is all too familiar with. Your presence makes our lives better, and we are selfish enough to covet that.”  
“You flatter me, Lady Miril. I do not believe I am responsible for your happiness, nor can I imagine you as being selfish.”  
“But they are words spoken in truth, young wizard. Do not forget I am unable to utter anything but.”  
“I don’t know what I would do if something happened to him. Every moment I am away from him makes me anxious and yet I fear that this anxiety and desire to be near to him will prove to be the very thing that triggers what I so fear.”  
“Tekeh, do not fret. My son is a strong young man. He is capable of defending himself.”  
She sighs, “I know he is. I am just not always sure that he will.”  
Miril sighs, a little exasperated, “I cannot deny that. We have found ourselves men who are incredibly self-sacrificial.”  
Dairine rolls her eyes, “ridiculously so.”  
Miril peers around Dairine’s shoulder slightly, “there he is now, my misbehaving child. I do wonder what took him so long to make his appearance if you left directly from his rooms.”  
“Indeed I did. He seemed as though he was going to go straight there, but I did not confirm this with him.”   
Lady Miril turns back to her shfj, taking a delicate sip before speaking, “and how was your afternoon on Earth?”  
Dairine smiles, “wonderful. We went for something we call ‘root beer floats’, played at a play structure, and then relaxed in a clearing I am fond of.” She fights down a blush at the last words, but from the knowing twinkle in Lady Miril’s eyes, she does not wholly succeed.   
“And how is your sister and her partner?”  
“Nita’s good. She and Kit did some wizardry today, but I’m afraid I haven’t had enough time to learn the details of it yet.”   
“So they have also been taking advantage of your break from education.”  
“I’d say so. It’s so much nicer in the summer. I can come here whenever I want.”  
“We should really get you to stay for more overnight visits in the future. The people need to get used to your presence.”  
“It won’t upset them?”  
“Perhaps it will at first, but eventually they will accept you as one of Roshaun’s quirks. We should get you involved with the people somehow. You could do some charity work or similar undertaking.”  
“I would be pleased to. It’s my father you will have to convince. He set one of my Seniors on me tonight at dinner.”  
“He wants his child nearby,” Lady Miril smiles, “I do not find fault in that. Still, I believe I know a way to have you here that will please your father.”  
“What is that?” Dairine asks.   
Lady Miril smiles softly at her, but there is a glint of something in her eyes, “a mother has her ways, my child.”   
Dairine raises a brow, but says nothing, instead deciding to focus on finishing her shfj.

Nothing much more is discussed before they finish and rise. They have spent enough time in this room to have clearly not hidden Dairine’s presence on Wellakh but have refrained from having her make an appearance at Roshaun’s side. Normally such careful calculations are not necessary as Dairine comes frequently enough to make formal appearances redundant as no one is particularly surprised. But today the castle is under more intense scrutiny so a more public acknowledgement is necessary. She and Lady Miril stroll through the most public of halls, being careful to avoid Roshaun. As of late, they have been marketing Dairine as more of a companion to Lady Miril, which is not altogether false. Dairine is something of a companion to Lady Miril, after all. 

She and Lady Miril eventually stop at what Dairine would call a conference nook. They are bay windows that overlook the castle courtyard along the main hall. Each has seats with beautiful cushions to sit upon. Best of all, they are designed so that only those in the little nooks can hear what is being said inside. She and Lady Miril will be able to have a private conversation that looks casual, as if they had just stopped to chat. Since they are in one of the busiest parts of the palace, both of them will be highly visible to staff and nobles as they walk past. 

The moment they are seated, Dairine turns to Lady Miril, “so what did happen today? With the attack?”  
Lady Miril keeps a bright smile on her face, but her tone is grave, “there were three assailants. All men, so far as we could figure. They clearly had help from someone inside this palace as they were waiting right outside the Royal Offices. The first shot missed, which gave Roshaun just enough time to pull up a shield. It was very close. Half a second later and the bullet would have hit its mark dead on. As it was, the force against Roshaun’s shield was great enough that he was thrown backwards a little. The following chaos was enough for the attackers to get away. Or blend in, at least. Once they removed their robes, they could’ve been anyone.”  
Dairine suppresses the shiver her body aches for, “and we really don’t know anything about who these men were?”  
“So far, we can only figure who they are not. We assumed them to be men because of their figures and shoes, though they were covered so one or all could have been women. We can rule out the noblemen at the meeting with Roshaun and Nelaid, as well as everyone at the lunch I was present at. All the staff will come up with alibis, of course, and their friends will lie to make them seem true whether they are guilty or not. And that is just within the palace. There is an entire planet of people who could possibly be the attackers.”  
“I never realized how hopeless this really is.”  
“If we do not catch them immediately, we do not catch them. And it does not matter, particularly. There is always someone new who turns up even if we do catch them.”  
“And Roshaun is in particular danger because the people think the line ends with him.”  
“They are wrong, of course. There is always a distant cousin.”  
“Will the attacks happen often now they’ve begun?”  
“It is hard to tell. They must take a significant amount of planning to pull off, but in theory they could happen everyday. Wellakhit history has never reflected that. People usually see how a King reacts to an attack before mounting another. We likely have until the Midnight Ball at the earliest.”  
“That’s something of a relief then.”  
“A mixed blessing, to be sure. But Roshaun has been working on your idea of joint government with the people. It may not be ready by then, but when he announces it, the people will judge him less harshly for a time. Those who are fond of progress will be appeased and those who honor our monarchy and the tradition of it will be kept happy. You are quite a genius”  
“Your people are quite clever. I do believe you would have arrived at this solution without my guidance, in fact, I am quite astonished that it is not already in practice.”  
“Perhaps, no matter how subconsciously, the Sunlords That Were cherished the power they had been born to wield.”  
“While I do not envy it, I get it. Who wants to give up something they were born being taught was not only their duty but their birthright? It takes a intelligent, strong, and selfless man to be willing to take that step back and admit he has found flaw in something that has been so ingrained into his head as his destiny.”  
“True and eloquent words. I have no doubts that my son is equal to the task.”  
Dairine smiles a genuine, fond, smile, “neither do I.”

The rest of the conversation is much more cheery and lighthearted. They talk for a few moments more in the conversation nook before removing themselves to the hall. They walk at a slow pace, continuing their conversation about the benefits of saltwater baths at a time loud enough for passerby to hear. The topic is an odd one, it had first come up when Dairine had mentioned she had taken a fondness for bathing in Epsom salts to relieve stress and that perhaps Lady Miril would also find the exercise beneficial. 

The conversation was mostly for the benefit of their ‘audience’ and to keep Dairine in the eyes (and ears) of witnesses. Again, a precaution that was not usually necessary, but everything was slightly different after an attack. This was one of the more recent lessons on royal conduct from Lady Miril, and she is glad to have had it now. 

The conversation about bath salts comes to a close just as a Wellakhit noblewoman approaches them. Dairine does the Wellakhit version of a curtsey, which is basically the same but involves taking the woman’s outstretched hands. The lady then greets Miril, doing a curtsey and making a hand motion that conveys respect. She does not greet Miril by the hands, but Miril is the Sister of the Sun and no one touches the Royal Family. 

Unluckily for Dairine, the woman does not introduce herself. “I have been meaning to converse with you, Ambassador of Earth.”  
Dairine cannot imagine this ending well. “On what topic do you wish to converse,” _Lady Hyyl_ Miril helpfully supplies, “Lady Hyyl?”  
Lady Hyyl is not quick enough to hide her surprise at Dairine knowing her name, but she schools her face back into being impassive and speaks nonetheless, “the nature of your friendship with the Stationmaster of the Crossings.”  
Whatever Dairine had been expecting, this wasn’t it. Still, she’s too good to let the shock show on her face, “the Stationmaster is a fellow wizard and particularly pleasant fellow to be acquainted with.”  
“And that is all?”  
“What do you wish to know?” Dairine is genuinely asking.   
“I had just heard reports of you staying over at the Crossings and that the Stationmaster was a friend of yours. Naturally, I along with a great many other Wellakhits feared for what this meant for your relationship with the Sunlord.”  
What?!?? Dairine asks Miril silently.   
Miril responds with the equivalent of a mental shrug.   
“I assure you, Lady Hyyl, the Stationmaster is a true friend and only a friend. Errantry made my stay necessary.”  
“You understand, of course, we feared our King had been disrespected.”   
As it happens, she does not. “The Sunlord is aware of my friendship with the Stationmaster, and indeed claims friendship with him himself.”  
“Well perhaps your culture is different from ours, but when Wellakhit are involved in a courtship, neither party entertains other prospects.”  
Dairine restrains the indignant remark she longs to say, instead bowing her head slightly in respect, “the same applies to my culture. As I am a wizard and that is another kind of a lie, any such kind of betrayal would destroy the gift of wizardry I possess. But please have no fear, Lady Hyyl, for the nature of my relationship with the Sunlord is not one in which such betrayals are common.”  
“Forgive me, but what do you mean?”  
Lady Miril smiles a gentle smile, “I believe the lady is tactfully attempting to imply that she is not involved in courtship with my son.”  
“Indeed,” Dairine agrees. It is true that she's trying to imply that.  
“I see,” Lady Hyyl frowns, “but you are his only neutral option. He absolutely must not choose to court Lady Ila am Heriv.”  
Lady Miril looks definitively amused by this idea, “Lady Ila is thought to be in courtship with Lord Davim ke Riis, is she not?”  
Lady Hyyl makes a displeased face, “we shall see. That girl comes from the worst family on Wellakh. I would not be surprised if they delay the official announcement in order to seek the Sunlord’s courtship for as long as possible.”  
“I am sorry to disappoint you, Lady Hyyl,” Dairine offers.   
“Of course, if my own daughter was of the age for courtship, she would be an ideal candidate, but she is most unfortunately only an eighth of the way along her lifespan.”  
Dairine manages a faintly amused smile, “of course. I thank you for your concern, but the Sister of the Sun and I have some business to take care of. My visit is, as always not purely for pleasure.”  
“Please endeavor to gain the Sunlord’s courtship on behalf of myself,” Lady Hyyl tells Dairine.  
Dairine nearly bursts out laughing, “I am sorry to disappoint you, but I am afraid I cannot promise that.”  
“Just the same,” Lady Hyyl grumbles and then walks off after bowing briefly to Lady Miril.

Dairine laughs when she’s out of earshot, “I was not expecting that conversation,” she admits to Lady Miril.  
Lady Miril also looks amused, “truthfully, neither was I. I suppose I should have anticipated it, though. Lady Hyyl comes from one of the most influential noble families, and the family has a most bitter rivalry with the family of Lady Ila.”  
“Who is she?” Dairine is surprised to find herself the slightest bit jealous.  
Lady Miril frowns. They’ve arrived in Miril and Nelaid’s private rooms. “Lady Ila is unfortunately a rather unpleasant young girl. Her mother and I were presented to Nelaid at the same time. His family found my family to be the better choice, mostly because I was a wizard, and Nelaid preferred me. She never resented me for it, I suspect that was mainly because she had a fondness for a village boy, though she eventually was unionbonded with the second most eligible bachelor in the nobility. Unfortunately she died when Lady Ila was young and her father is the most unpleasant kind of person, which he seems to have passed on to his daughter. I have no doubts her courtship with the vain Davim ke Riis will be announced shortly. They are a well suited match.”  
Dairine raises a brow. It is unlike Lady Miril to speak ill of anyone.   
“Truthfully, I feel it is very possible one of those two families are behind this attack,” Lady Miril tells her.   
“Why would it be to their advantage?” Dairine asks.  
“While not directly related to the man who would become Sunlord should the worst happen and Nelaid refuse the burden, the families would be in a better position. Of course, they would have more to benefit after the young Lady Ila and Lord Davim ke Riis are unionbonded, so this attack could very well be designed by the people.”  
“So really, we have no leads?”  
“I am afraid not.”

Lady Miril grabs a card and then exits the room once more. Dairine follows her. Lady Miril leads them to the private transport room and to the gate which leads to the family’s house in town. Dairine has only gone there once before. She doesn’t question the destination, though and walks through the gate. When they emerge, Lady Miril explains more fully.   
“I have an errand to take care of in town. I was hoping you would be willing to come with me and explore the town briefly while I do what I must.”  
“Of course,” Dairine agrees. She dons a shawl that matches her outfit, pulling the fabric over her head. Lady Miril does the same. It won’t stop anyone from recognizing them, particularly Dairine because of her height, but may help somewhat. Besides, it might be good for Dairine to be seen out shopping. 

Lady Miril leads her through the streets. They are not too busy at the moment, and anyone out on the streets pays them no attention. Lady Miril shows Dairine a block of four shops which she says are perfectly respectable and promises to not be too long, pressing a pouch of gold coins into her hands before hurrying off. Dairine pushes open the first door, surprised to find the action rings a little bell not unlike stores back on Earth have. It’s a bookshop, and the layout is not too unfamiliar. The only thing Dairine cannot locate on first glance is a place to checkout. She wonders briefly if it is acceptable to browse in the same way she would back at home, but luckily there is a woman who seems to be doing just that, taking books down and flipping through them briefly. 

With this deduction, all that remains for Dairine to do is decide what kind of literature to look at. The library at the palace probably has all these titles, but Dairine has visited the grand room twice, and can never bring herself to take anything home with her. Still, from Roshaun and those two visits, she has a pretty good idea of what the most common books are. She heads to the section she expects one of them to be in, and begins looking. The titles are unfamiliar, but she finds most of them intriguing. She eventually finds the novel she had been looking for and pulls it from the shelf. The cover immediately transforms into an arrow, which points to the direction Dairine assumes the checkout is. She flips open the book cover and finds a brief synopsis. It seems to be in line with classics at home and gives her the general feel of To the Lighthouse, though Dairine had never read that particular novel herself so she couldn’t be a hundred percent certain. 

She follows the arrow to a counter of sorts where she pays for the book with money Lady Miril had given her. The man there looks shocked to see her, but says nothing. He removes some sort of cover from the book, leaving just the book itself. She had been wondering how that worked. He hands her the book and some change, and she thanks him and makes her way to the exit. Once outside, she heads into the next store. It appears to be a clothing store. She browses the items in there with the general idea to buy something for Carmela. She eventually settles on a Wellakhit top she think would look nice with a pair of jeans and goes to check out. 

“Excuse me, are you Dhairine hev ke Khallahan?” the clerk asks.  
Dairine gestures ‘yes’, “indeed I am.”  
“I was unaware you ever left the palace.”  
“As Ambassador from Earth, it would be poor of me to not experience life outside the palace on occasion.”  
“I suppose so.”  
The woman finishes checking her out and Dairine hurries from the store. 

“You’ll never believe who was just in here!” Dairine hears just before the door shuts, “Dairine hev ke Khallahan.”

Dairine glances down at her watch, desperate for Lady Miril to return. She looks around, but cannot see her so heads into the next shop. It appears to be a perfume shop of sorts. Not her type of place at all. A few other women are smelling the small bottles, so Dairine does that as well. Perhaps Nita would enjoy one. She picks up a small bottle and sniffs it experimentally. To her, it smells awful. She sets it down and sniffs the next one. It’s also atrocious. She moves to another shelf, hoping these are better. The first bottle she picks up over here smells kind of like apple cider, which is a pleasant scent, if not quite Nita. 

“Are you the princess?” a little voice asks.  
Dairine looks down (she actually can look down on someone here!) and sees a little girl. The whole shop has turned to look at Dairine. “Oh, no. I am afraid not,” Dairine tells the little girl.  
“But you are gonna be unionbonded with the Sunlord!” the little girl protests.  
The girl’s mother shushes her, “Adeline, it is not our place.”  
“Oh, no. It is quite alright.” Dairine smiles at the little girl. She doesn’t have to look unaffected all the time. “That is a popular misconception.”  
The whole store is still staring at Dairine.   
“What is the Sunlord like?”  
“Adeline!” Another scolding from the mother.   
“He is very majestic. Exactly as you would imagine a Sunlord to be,” Dairine says neutrally to the little girl.  
“And very handsome,” the little girl sighs.   
_Dairine? Where are you?_ Lady Miril asks silently. Dairine thanks the powers for her good timing.  
 _I think it’s a perfume shop. Please help me._  
Dairine feels the concern after her silent words, but thankfully Miril opens the door, turning the attention to her. People freeze in shock, saving Dairine from needing to come up with a response to the little girl’s words. 

Lady Miril appears unaffected by the attention, “Lady Dhairine. I must apologize for leaving you.”  
“Most esteemed Sister of the Sun, do not fret. I have completed all the shopping I need for the day and shall return with you to the palace.”   
Dairine quickly makes her way to Lady Miril’s side and exits the shop for her. She lets out a breath the moment the door closes.   
“What happened?” Lady Miril asks, tone urgent.  
“A little girl was rather curious. I wasn’t quite prepared for some of the questions she asked.”  
Lady Miril also lets out a breath, “Dairine, tekeh, you are far better at deflecting than you give yourself credit for.”   
Dairine blushes slightly at the compliment.  
 _Will I be allowed to see Roshaun when we get back?_ She suddenly misses him desperately.   
_I do not see why not. You can transport yourself straight to his rooms. Most people will assume you went back to Earth._

Dairine grins and quickens her pace. Lady Miril laughs at her, but smiles too, also quickening her pace. They arrive back at the town house and Dairine hangs up the borrowed shawl on a hook, following Miril back to the gate. When they come through the other side, Miril bids Dairine goodnight and places Dairine’s hands on her forehead. Dairine then does the transport spell and ends up in Roshaun’s room. 


	4. Alone at Last

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roshaun and Dairine spend some time in his room.

She looks up to see a very startled Roshaun, “you frightened me,” he tells her, “some warning would be ideal.”  
She grins at him, “sorry about that.”  
He sinks into a couch, dropping the spell he had been holding.   
She does feel bad. After all it was just today he was attacked. She goes and sits next to him, “I really am sorry. I didn’t think.”  
He waves her off, “a product of the events today, not you.”  
“I’m still sorry. Next time, I’ll warn you. I don’t want to end up on the other end of that, after all,” she gestures to the spell he had ready, “I’ve seen what you can do with a well-crafted wizardry and some good timing.”  
He grins at those words, “are you admitting I am the superior wizard?”  
“I am doing no such thing. It’s not my fault every compliment goes straight to your head. I would do better to stop giving them.”   
“On the contrary, I believe the compliments betray your good opinion of me. It would be quite false to keep that good opinion hidden.”  
“And how do you figure that?”  
“As a wizard, you should avoid deception. It is really a true miracle you have managed to keep your wizardry all these years.”  
She sits down on the couch next to him, putting her feet in his lap, “au contraire, it is really a true miracle you haven’t worked my last nerve yet. I do wonder how I put up with you.”  
He glares at her feet, “and I cannot fathom why I am allowing such disrespect.”  
“A little disrespect is good for you. Keeps you humble,” Dairine points out.   
“I heard you went to town. Why?” he changes the subject.   
Dairine thinks on this a moment, “honestly I don’t know. Lady Miril needed to run and errand and just sort of sent me shopping.”  
Roshaun thinks about this for a moment, “I am inclined to think she went to meet with the investigator. Our family has a private one for scenarios such as this.”  
“Speaking of which, how’d the appearance go?”  
“Nothing of consequence happened.”  
“What did you do the rest of the time?”  
“I was forced into a meeting with the nobles. They claim to want to help but it is more than likely one or more was involved in or supports the attack. They really just wanted the chance to assess me close up.”   
“Those monsters,” Dairine spits furiously.  
Roshaun sighs tiredly, “I cannot fault them. I am a young king prone to mistakes. They still think of me as the spoiled little princeling.”  
“Hey, hey, hey. None of that. We’ve been over this. You’re a fantastic king who cares about his people. That alone makes you more qualified than any other person who was in that room.”  
“You cannot deny the truth in it, Dari. You thought me vain and spoiled when you met me as well.”  
“Yes I did,” she admits, “but that was before I got to know you. Roshaun, you’re the type of person who walks into the sun wearing nothing but a forcefield for a girl you’ve just met and the weird little planet she calls home. For your own people, you go even further. You risk your life everyday by being the Sunlord, not just because you are the Guarantor but because everyday you protect people who would do you harm.”  
“You must realize I went into your sun for you and you alone,” is his only response.  
She opens her mouth, ready to continue her tirade, but upon processing his words, stops short, “wait what?”  
Roshaun looks at her with an amused face, “Dairine.” He sounds almost disappointed, “I practically told you then and there.”  
“Because I didn’t have to. Those were your exact words.”  
He raises a brow at her, “and I was telling the truth. I didn’t have to do it, but I wanted to.”  
Dairine is flabbergasted, “what?!?”  
His gaze is infuriatingly amused, “Dari. Surely you had at least some idea.”  
“I thought there was more to it, the way you wouldn’t meet my eyes.”  
“I was halfway in love with you, even then. Of course, it was only when we found out your planet was in trouble that I began to realize. All I could think was not her.”

She pulls her feet from his lap and leans across the space between them, capturing his lips in a bruising kiss. She then pulls back and punches him in the arm, “you are very, very, dumb. The way to win a girl’s heart is not by almost dying every five seconds.”  
“Ouch,” he complains, rubbing his shoulder. “And I disagree. It seems to be working so far.”  
She punches him again, harder, “I mean it. You need to stop scaring me. That time with the sun, the moon, the other time with the sun. Two weeks ago with your sun. Today. Do you see a pattern?”  
“I am a Guarantor.”  
“Which does not give you permission to routinely throw yourself into danger!” She’s screeching a little now.   
“That is the job description. Besides which, you do not apply this advice to yourself. You are routinely sleep deprived and shrug off danger all the time.”  
“Okay, not getting enough sleep and walking into the sun are two very different things.”  
“Which does not change the fact that you should take better care of yourself.”  
“Maybe not. But it also doesn’t change the fact that you need to stop almost dying. I don’t think I could cope if you did die,” she admits softly.   
“Neither could I,” he whispers softly, cupping her face lovingly.   
“So just a brief recap. No dying. Comprendes?” She smiles at him, her tone joking but her eyes serious. 

Roshaun doesn’t have a chance to respond because there’s a knock on his door. Dairine springs up off the couch and goes to hide behind the changing screen. Roshaun follows her movement, calling out for the person to enter once she’s out of sight. The door opens and shuts without Dairine being able to see just who it is who has entered. 

“Roshaun. Dairine, you can come out,” Nelaid’s voice is amused.  
Dairine steps out from behind the screen, smiling.   
“I did not intend to disturb you, as you have both earned some peace and solitude, but I thought you would be interested to know that one of the attempted assassins has turned himself in.”  
Roshaun looks shocked, “do we know who he is?”  
“A farmhand, it seems. I did not tell you sooner because we wanted to be sure his story was a true one.”  
“But why turn himself in?” Dairine asks.  
“That is what we are trying to figure out. We will know more in the morning. I will take my leave of you now,” Nelaid promises, vanishing on the spot. 

Dairine stares for a moment at the place Nelaid had been standing before stepping close to Roshaun and wrapping her arms around his waist, looking up at him.   
“That was interesting, was it not?” he asks her.  
“It was. I assume such things are not common.”  
“No. I do not believe this has ever happened.”  
“Well, hopefully it’s a good sign.”  
“Indeed. Though I rather doubt it.”  
“Do you always have to be such a pessimist? Look, like Nelaid said, we very rarely have peace and solitude, can we just enjoy it?”  
He looks amused, “and what is it you want to do?”  
He is being deliberately coy, which annoys her. “Well, for starters, I had Spot find some projects I thought we could work on. Now is as good a time as any to start them,” she shakes his hands off, which had been resting lightly on her waist and pretends to be looking for Spot.  
“Oh.” He sounds surprised. “If that is what you want.”  
She’s glad to be facing away from him, so he doesn’t see her smile. “I could also use some recommendations for what to get Kit for his birthday. That’s coming up soon.”  
Behind her, Roshaun sits down on a couch, placing his feet on an ottoman, “I fail to see how I could be useful in that area.”  
She can’t help it, she laughs out loud and goes to sit next to him. “I fail to see the amusement in this situation,” Roshaun says.  
She laughs harder, “of course that’s not what I want to do. As I said, let’s enjoy the free time. We can deal with business tomorrow. Do your people have board games?”  
He glares at her briefly before tilting his head in consideration of her words, “I believe we have some forms of entertainment that would be similar.”

Roshaun picks a game he calls Kingdoms that vaguely reminds Dairine of Monopoly. Characters move around the outside of a circular board, fighting “wars” when they land on a space, giving up resources to win the space. Once a space has been won, it becomes part of a player's “kingdom”. The goal of the game is to gain as many resources as possible for your kingdom. There are eight types of spaces spread out across the board, and if possessing all eight or as close as you can to all eight gives you an advantage, kind of like having a color set in monopoly. Once a player has four types, they have a “modest” kingdom, and once they have all eight a “prestigious” kingdom. These distinguishments cause the opponent to be at a disadvantage when “trading” (paying rent essentially) and causes them to have to pay more. Of course, there are twists and such beyond the basic rules that make for a very entertaining game. Dairine especially appreciates that the game does not go on as long as it’s Earthen counterpart. 

Still, by the time they finish the game, Darkness has reigned for quite some time and it is well into the night. Dairine suppresses a yawn, tired despite herself. Roshaun glances at a time-telling device mounted on a wall and seems to come to the same conclusion as her, that they should probably get going to bed. They pick up the game rather quickly and Roshaun goes to put it away, stopping in the bathroom to brush his teeth. While he is doing that, Dairine grabs her things from her other space pocket. 

“Oh, shoot.” She thinks aloud, “I meant to go get my sleep clothes from my room earlier but I completely forgot. Do you think I can just pop in and out?”   
Roshaun waves his hand ‘no’, “a waste of energy. I have plenty of clothes you can borrow.” He grins almost devilishly, “or you could make something.”  
“Ha. Ha. It would make more sense to just have Spot open a portal to my closet here or at my house. No, I think I should like to have something of yours.”   
Roshaun raises a brow, “and maybe I’m not willing to give it?”  
“You already said you were,” Dairine points out, and heads over to his dresser, finding a well-worn floppy T-Shirt. 

She takes her new shirt with her to the bathroom with her, where she brushes her teeth, washes her face, and combs her hair. She then changes into the shirt. She’s a little self-conscious about the idea of wearing just that in front of Roshaun though, so she has Spot very discreetly open a portal to her closet and pulls out a pair of short pajama shorts. You can’t actually see them under the shirt, but the fact that they are there is reassuring to Dairine. Thus readied for bed, Dairine steps out of the bathroom. She doesn’t immediately see Roshaun, but she’s not too concerned and goes to sit on his bed, pulling up her messages on Spot. There’s just one from Nita wishing her a goodnight. Dairine responds in kind and then shuts the screen at the exact same moment Roshaun emerges from behind the changing screen. 

They’re both silent as he crosses the room and goes to sit next to her on the bed. The quiet is almost unbearably awkward. This is uncharted territory for the both of them. They’ve laid down in hammocks and blankets and such and snoozed in the sun, even fallen asleep in the same bed, but never intentionally. Both of them are awake and planning on sleeping next to each other, in the same bed. 

“So…” says Dairine, searching for a topic, “I forgot to tell you earlier,” she lands on one, “but some woman named Lady Hyyl was very concerned I was being unloyal to you with Sker’ret.”  
Roshaun looks amused, “and she told you this?”  
“Accused me, really. Right in front of your mother. Apparently she hates some Lady Ila.”  
Roshaun groans, “that is no great shock. Their families are rivals and Lady Ila is notorious for having designs above her station. I have heard her described universally as being most unpleasant.”  
“You’ve never met her?” Dairine is genuinely surprised.   
“To be honest, I never had a desire to. Since I finished my formal schooling, I have not bothered to keep in contact with any Wellakhit my own age. You find quickly any potential kinship is based on their desire for my title or for my demise.”  
“I can see where that wouldn't inspire any close friendships,” Dairine jokes.

Roshaun raises a brow at her, also humored, and slips under the covers. Dairine copies the motion, squirming a little out of nerves and awkwardness. Roshaun makes the first move, lifting his arm for her to slide under. She does so, relaxing a little. It’s not as if they haven’t done this before. He snaps his fingers and the lights go out, leaving the room just shy of black. There’s a gentle glow coming from everywhere and nowhere, and Dairine bites back a comment about night lights. The glow is pleasant enough, either way. It is strangely comforting. 

“Goodnight,” she whispers to him.  
“Goodnight,” he responds, voice fond. 

She snuggles a little closer, losing herself to the warmth and darkness. 

~*~

  
When the morning dawns, they will wake just like that, limbs entangled. Dairine will look up and meet his eyes, a soft grin lighting up her face. He will respond by capturing her lips in a gentle kiss, and for a moment, everything will be absolutely perfect. 


End file.
